At least 60 electric buses to be deployed from early next year: LTA
SINGAPORE — The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will progressively deploy at least 60 electric buses from early next year, as part of its move towards a cleaner energy public bus fleet by 2040.
The buses, which were displayed at the Ulu Pandan Bus Depot on Monday (11 November), include one electric bus that was retrofitted from a diesel counterpart as a proof-of-concept trial to determine the feasibility of the conversion.
According to the LTA, deploying these vehicles will reduce the carbon dioxide carbon emissions by approximately 7,840 tons per year, equivalent to the annual emissions of 1,700 passenger cars.
The annual energy savings from using these buses will be sufficient to power up close to 4,300 households in Singapore per year. Passengers can also expect quieter bus journeys, the authority added.
“With an electric motor, the ambient noise level of an electric bus is around 75 decibels, three decibels lower than that of a typical Euro 6 diesel bus in our current fleet,” it said.
The 60 new electric buses will also be equipped with passenger information display systems to provide commuters with route-specific information, such as upcoming bus stops and destinations.
Centre poles, typically found at the entrances on buses here, have also been removed to allow easier access for parents with open strollers, said the LTA.
Bus technicians graduate
Separately, 86 bus technicians graduated under the Certification for Technical Specialist (CTS) at the Bus Technical Specialist Certification Centre on Monday.
The CTS is a joint certification by Singapore Bus Academy and the Institution of Engineers Singapore to benchmark the competencies of our bus technical professionals.
Bus technicians can be certified under three levels of expertise: Technical Specialist, Senior Technical Specialist, and Master Technical Specialist.
“With the deployment of electric buses, the CTS assessment will be updated to cover this new bus system,” said the LTA.
“The Singapore Bus Academy is also working with the bus suppliers to conduct training programmes to equip the workforce with the necessary skill set to operate and maintain such buses.”
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